


From the Ashes

by blakefancier



Series: Dangerous Games [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-22 15:02:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2511932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blakefancier/pseuds/blakefancier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the death of her son, Maria struggles to keep her world from falling apart. This is her story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From the Ashes

**Author's Note:**

> I want to give a big thanks to all my tumblr friends whose enthusiasm kept me writing and my betas who were nice enough to help me out.

Maria wished Howard had died with Tony. It was a horrible thought, but it would have made things so much easier. She could have mourned and moved on, but instead there he was, like a scar that pulled every time she moved, and she hated it.

And now she had a choice and it left a bitter taste in her mouth. She cursed Howard for bringing it to this.

"Mrs. Stark," Fury said, a small frown marring his brow. "Are you all right?"

Maria smoothed her skirt, and then tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Of course I am, Director Fury."

"You don’t seem surprised by the information I’ve shown you." Fury nodded to the folder open in front of her, the pictures spilling out over her desk, showing weapons, his weapons, *their* weapons in the hands of thugs and monsters.

"Well, I don’t suppose I am." She was proud of the fact that her words came out strong and clear, despite the tightness of her throat. "My husband’s been a changed man since the accident. I’ve been told that’s not uncommon after traumatic events."

"Yes." Fury didn’t offer her condolences, for which she was grateful. She was tired of grieving.

"Why bring this to me? Why not take it to the proper authorities?" Maria knew why. This was all circumstantial evidence. Howard would bury it with his money and connections.

"Howard’s a friend. He won’t listen to me, Mrs. Stark. He might listen to you."

Maria stacked the pictures and placed them back in the folder. Howard had stopped listening to her long before the accident, but Fury was right, she had to try. "I’ll see what I can do. Director."

Fury smiled at her, almost sadly. "That’s all I ask, Mrs. Stark." He rose to his feet in one smooth movement. "Please, don’t get up. I can show myself out."

He left the folder with her. She covered it with her hands, as if to block out the images of death and destruction still burned in her brain.

***** 

She remembered asking him if he was drunk. She remembered the way he’d laughed and said, "Maria, it’s nine in the fucking morning, of course I’m not. Look, don’t worry about us, okay? I can take my own son to the pediatrician. I’ll see you at Per Se for lunch."

Three hours later she’d found herself sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, her hands clutching her purse as Obadiah spoke with the police.

"Had Mr. Stark been drinking?" they’d asked.

"At nine in the morning? Of course not," Obadiah replied smoothly.

***** 

Maria tossed the pictures on Howard’s desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you doing?"

Howard set down the bottle of whiskey he had in his hand—he must have been drinking for a while, because he reeked—and flipped through the pictures. His lips pulled back in a sneer and he glared up at her with bloodshot eyes. "What am I doing? What are you doing? Having someone spy on me now, Maria? Really?"

"I wouldn’t have to spy on you if you’d just talk to me, Howard." Her throat tightened; she used to love this man. "Why were you talking to the Maggia? Why are you talking to gang leaders?"

"Don’t worry about it," he said, picking up the whiskey with a shaky hand and refilling his glass.

"Don’t worry about it? Are you selling them weapons? Is that what you’re doing?" She slammed her palms against the top of the desk. "Howard, when the authorities find out what you’re doing, they’re going to put you in prison! We could lose everything we’ve worked for."

Howard laughed bitterly. " _We’ve_ worked for? I’m sorry, I don’t remember you spending weeks in the lab, hours hunched over the keyboard or a piece of machinery, fingers bleeding. It’s not your genius that builds these weapons."

His words were like a slap in the face. Maria drew up, chin lifted, her jaw clenched. "Maybe not. But I am the one who smoothes things over with the board when you screw up! I’m the one who apologizes when you show up to product demonstrations drunk off your ass! I’m the one—" She cut herself off. She gave herself a moment to rein in her emotions. "We have plenty of geniuses, my dear. *My* recruitment efforts made sure of that." 

"It’s my name on the letterhead," he said coldly.

"According to quite a few legal documents, it’s mine, too." Maria gathered up the photos and stormed out of the room. 

***** 

Maria didn’t like Obadiah Stane—his gaze lingered too long and he was too quick to offer Howard a drink—but he was a genius in his own right. And if she were going to do what she needed to, she’d need him on board. 

"Jesus," he said, leaning back in his chair, hand over his mouth. He stared at the photos in front of him, a calculating look on his face. "I can’t believe it."

 _‘Liar,'_ she thought.

"Yes, it surprised me, too. But he didn’t deny it when I confronted him." She leaned over and touched his arm. "I know that Howard is your best friend, but if we don’t act fast, he’s going to take us, and Stark Industries, down with him. I don’t want that to happen. Do you?"

"No, no, I don’t." Obadiah shifted his gaze from the pictures to her. "You have a plan." 

"Are you in?" she asked.

"He’s my best friend. He made me rich." Obadiah picked up the photos and slowly flipped through them. A few minutes later, he set the photos down and looked at her. "I like being rich. You’re his wife. Why are you doing this?"

"He killed our son." That wasn’t all, but she wasn’t about to spill her reasons to the likes of Obadiah Stane. 

He nodded thoughtfully and rose from his seat. "Well, I think this sort of betrayal deserves a drink, don’t you?"

"I’ll have a scotch on the rocks."

***** 

They didn’t bother to undress before they fucked up against the living room wall.

And after, she straightened her panties, pulled down her dress, and told him she’d call him later. 

She knew she should feel guilty for breaking her vows, but she didn’t. It was just another betrayal in the pile of lies and misdeeds that was her relationship with Howard. 

***** 

"It was surprisingly easy to oust Howard from his position as CEO. An injunction here, a board vote there, and security was escorting Howard out of the building. 

She was waiting in the lobby, Obadiah at her side. 

Security had to drag him out of the elevator and she was sure he was going to make a scene, then he saw her. He saw her and the look on his face made her take a step back.

"You bitch," Howard hissed. "You backstabbing bitch! I’m going to---"

"You’re going to *what*?" Rage made her step forward. "You’re nothing, you’re nobody!" She shoved the divorce papers into his hands. "You’re not even my husband anymore!"

Howard shook, hands gripping the papers, but he didn’t say another word.

"You want to rot in hell, Howard? You go right ahead. But you’re not taking me with you." Maria looked at the security guards. "Get him out of here."

"I’m going to kill you," Howard screamed, fighting with the guard. "I’m going to fucking kill you, you bitch!"

Maria spun on her heel and stepped into the elevator. She wasn’t afraid of his words—he was all talk—that was all he ever was. When she got to his office, her office, she sat at the desk and leaned back in the chair. 

"You look good," Obadiah said from the doorway, voice warm with appreciation. 

"Do I?" She looked over at him; this wasn’t what she wanted, not that it mattered anymore. "I was at the top of my class at MIT. After graduation, I was going to revolutionize artificial intelligence. Then I met Howard on my way to an interview. Here, in this building. And everything changed."

"I know. I remember him telling that story at your engagement party. " Obadiah sauntered in and sat down. 

"I may not have Howard’s genius, but I’m not an idiot, Obadiah. I’m not one of those young airheads you like to take to parties and fuck in the coatroom. If you betray me, I will ruin you. Do you understand?"

He smiled at her, and oh, it was all teeth. "Perfectly."

"Good," she said. "Then let’s get to work." 

***** 

Maria didn’t get home until late. Her eyes were hot and itchy, her back ached, and her feet hurt.

She expected to come home to an empty house, but when she walked in from the garage to the kitchen, Jarvis was waiting for her. "I didn’t expect to see you here," she blurted out in surprise.

Jarvis nodded slowly, his shoulders slumped as if all fifty-seven of his years were resting on them. "I realize that it’s late, but I thought that perhaps you might be hungry."

"I… I am." Maria set her briefcase down on the kitchen island. "But that’s not what I meant. I thought you’d… You and Howard…"

"I have known Mr. Stark for a very long time, since he was a boy." Jarvis moved around the kitchen, preparing her a sandwich. "I had the honor of watching him grow up. I had hoped to watch his son—" His voice broke and he turned away. "Mr. Stark is not the young man I once knew. I hope that my history does not reflect poorly on me."

"Of course not, Jarvis," she said softly. "This is more than just your place of employment, this is your home." She was quiet for a moment, then added, "And Tony loved you, too."

Jarvis turned and handed her a small plate of sandwiches. "Very good, Mrs. Stark."

She wasn’t hungry, but she ate anyway.

***** 

Howard disappeared and it worried her in a way that had nothing to do with her own safety. She had a cadre of private detectives look for him, but he was gone and he left not a word.

Still, on one bright August afternoon, Maria divorced him.

She thought it would ease the tightness in her chest, free her from the anxiety that made her fidget, but it didn’t. 

So she went home, finished packing her things at the mansion, then sat in the middle of the living room, surrounded by boxes, and opened up her laptop. The first line of code was the hardest, but soon her fingers flew over the keyboard as she remembered more and more of her training.

She didn’t look up again until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She blinked up at Jarvis, then groaned as her back protested the movement—she was too old to be sitting on the floor for hours on end. 

"The movers are here, Mrs. Stark." 

Maria rose to her feet and stretched. "Have them move the boxes upstairs first," she said, saving her work and putting the laptop away. He hurried to direct the moving men, reminding them to take care with the boxes. She looked around the living room with some regret—the mansion had been her home for twelve years and she’d miss it. But in all honesty, it held too many painful memories for her and it had been Howard’s home first. His, his father’s, his grandfather’s, and she could not find it in herself to take that away from him, no matter how angry and bitter she felt. Besides, in her new building, she was able to create the workshop she needed to complete her work.

Jarvis followed the moving men back downstairs and stood next to her. "Are you sure you wish me to come with you, Mrs. Stark? There isn’t much for me to do in your new condo." 

"You’re right," she said. "And I’ve been thinking about that. I don’t really need a butler, I never really have. But I… You’re an extremely organized man, Jarvis, and I find that my life has become extremely disorganized as of late. Obadiah suggested I hire a personal assistant." She looked over at him. "How would you feel about a change in positions?"

Jarvis smiled slowly. "I find it agrees with me, Mrs. Stark."

She nodded in satisfaction. "It’s Maria, Jarvis." 

He looked about ready to protest, then he stopped and inclined his head. "Very well, Maria, but only if you’ll call me Edwin."

Maria smiled in acquiescence and touched his arm. 

***** 

Most people didn’t know this about Maria, but she was as much of a workaholic as Howard. She never minded his drive to stay up for days on end to finish a project, because she understood. 

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been working, but it was long enough for Edwin to hover over her, radiating disapproval. 

"Were you planning to rest at any point this week?" he asked, arms crossed over his chest, foot tapping against the floor. 

"Please don’t hover, you’re making me nervous." She spared him a quick glance before turning back to her computer screen. "I’m at a crucial point in my program, Edwin. I’ll get some sleep soon."

"You said that twelve hours ago." 

Maria hummed softly and he sighed. 

"Very well. Will you at least eat if I bring something down?"

"All right," she said, just so that he would go away. 

Edwin muttered under his breath and left her alone with her work. 

***** 

"You’re going to be late for your meeting if you don’t leave in the next five minutes," Edwin said. He didn’t look up from his tablet as he entered her workshop and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I know. I’ll leave in a minute." Maria took the tablet from him and set it down. "I want to introduce you to someone."

Jarvis looked around the room, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "This person wouldn’t happen to be invisible, would they?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "No. And he’s not exactly a person." She turned her laptop so that Edwin could see the screen. "Edwin, I want you to meet JARVIS. JARVIS, this is your namesake. Say hello." 

"Hello, sir," JARVIS said, in an accent that matched Edwin’s. It wasn’t a perfect voice match; she felt that might be too creepy, but it was obvious that her AI was patterned after Edwin.

"How very strange. Hello, JARVIS." Edwin reached out and touched the laptop screen. "Your AI?"

"Yes, I’m going to install him into the condo system tonight," she said. "You don’t mind the name, do you?"

"No, of course not. Although, I do wonder why."

"He’s going to be running my household. What else would I call him?"

Edwin didn’t roll his eyes, but Maria could tell he wanted to. "Yes, well, let’s hope that at some point in the future he doesn’t decide to take over the world and enslave humanity. That would be embarrassing. Now, you’d better hurry. You’re going to be late for your meeting!" 

"All right, all right." She grabbed her briefcase and rushed out of the room.

***** 

Maria sat in front of the fire, sipped her glass of wine, and ignored the loneliness that stretched out before her like a chasm. Edwin had wanted to stay and keep her company, but she'd quickly dissuaded him. She was in no shape for company, no matter how much she might want it.

It was her first Christmas without Tony and Howard and the day felt hollow.

Maybe she should have gone to visit her best friend upstate. Jan had always been good at lifting Maria’s spirit.

She drained her wine glass and set it on the side table. She was just about to get up and go to bed, when her cell phone rang. The number wasn't one she knew, but she answered it anyway.

"Stark," she said, but there was no response. Maria tried again, but still nothing.

She was just about to hang up the phone, when the first harsh sob came across the line. "Howard?"

There was no reply, just the sound of him crying on the other end.

Maria knew she should hang up, it was his fault that Tony was dead, that their marriage had failed, that they were both alone, but she didn't. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes against the sting of her own tears, and listened as her ex-husband fell apart.

***** 

Maria looked at the bouquet of daisies sitting on her desk and wondered if she should have tossed them out They hadn't come with a card, but she knew who they were from and why.

Daisies were her favorite flower and they had made up her bridal bouquet.

Today would have been their 10th anniversary.

She reached out to touch a petal, then sighed. She looked over at Edwin, who was straightening the magazines on her coffee table. "You're fussing, Edwin. You should go home."

"I don't mind staying, if you'd like company. I thought perhaps we could order Thai and go over the meeting notes from last week." Edwin picked up the lone file folder off the table and a few papers fell out. He scooped them up and frowned. "What's this?"

It took her a moment to realize what he was looking at. Maria quickly rose to her feet and took the papers from his hands. "Nothing. Just… it's nothing."

"They look like robots."

"It's not." Maria swallowed down the lump in her throat. "It's not a robot; it's a suit of armor. It was a project Howard and I used to work on when we were dating." 

She remembered the two of them sitting around the dinner table, plates pushed aside, forgotten as they bent their heads over their sketches, arguing over what design would be more functional. Howard’s designs had always looked less human than hers. But then she’d grown up with a father who had told her tales of King Arthur and knights in shining armor.

"I see." Edwin reached out and touched her arm. "I can stay for as long as you need me."

"You have your own life, Edwin—" She started to turn away but his laugh made her stop and stare at him. 

"From the moment I was hired by your father-in-law, my life has revolved around the Starks. That didn’t change when I became your assistant." Edwin smiled at her. "Turn off your phone, I’ll order Thai, and we’ll get some work done, yes?"

Maria took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yes, all right. Thank you, Edwin."

"It is my pleasure, Mrs. Stark."

She flashed a grin at him and set the file folder for the Iron Man project on her to-be-filed pile.

***** 

Howard had gone silent for almost five years; five years of wondering if he’d drunk himself to death, pissed someone off, or had finally put a bullet in his brain. It was almost a relief when Stark weapons started showing up in the hands of gangbangers and Mafiosos. 

Of course then the FBI had shown up on her doorstep and all relief had gone out the window.

"No," she’d said to the young men in snappy suits, "I haven’t seen my ex-husband since I had him fired, but I will happily give you access to our files once you produce a warrant." 

"Do you have something to hide, Mrs. Stark?" the young man with the yellow tie asked. 

"No, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to allow you to run roughshod over my rights. Get a warrant, gentleman. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m a busy woman. Edwin, please show them out." She waited quietly at her desk until Edwin came back. "Are they out of the building?"

Edwin nodded, a worried look on his face. 

"I want a meeting with all the division heads in an hour. I don’t give a damn if they’re in Japan or on vacation, if they can’t be here in person, then I want them on the phone. If there’s a leak, I want us to find it before the Feds do."

***** 

Maria let out a frustrated growl and closed her laptop a bit more forcefully than necessary. It had been three days since the FBI made contact with her, three days of intense scrutiny and neither she nor her division heads had found anything. 

"It has to be here," she said to Edwin, who was sitting on the couch, head buried in his own tablet. "Have you found anything?"

Edwin looked up at her and sighed. "Not a thing. Not a misplaced shipment or jump in serial number—all weapons are present and accounted for. Maybe the federal agents are wrong. Maybe they’re not our guns."

"No, I saw them and they’re ours." Maria leaned back in her chair. "What about you, J? Any weapons go missing during manufacturing."

"I’m afraid not, ma’am." JARVIS sounded regretful and she smiled with pride—he had come a long way from the tiny program run from her computer.

"So then it’s probably an inside job," Edwin said and she, unfortunately, had to agree. 

"All right, well, I have another assignment for you, J." Maria took a deep breath. "I need you to find Howard Stark for me."

Edwin started. "Maria, he could be dangerous! Hell, he is dangerous if he’s selling weapons to criminals."

"If he’s the one stealing my weapons, then it’s only fair that I give him a chance to stop before I rip him to shreds."

"You don’t owe him a thing," Edwin said.

She had loved Howard once, they’d had a life together, they—"Do it, J." 

"As you say, ma’am." 

Edwin shook his head. "You’re a fool, Maria."

Maybe she was, but it had been more than five years since she’d seen him, heard his voice, and she was curious. She was angry. Whatever he was planning, she would stop him, and this time she wouldn’t leave him capable of returning.

***** 

Maria wore her favorite blue Valentino dress with the stiletto heels that made her legs look fabulous, her hair in a loose bun. She walked into the little café and spotted him in the corner, surrounded by sycophants, a pretty redhead on his arm.

He didn’t notice her until she was almost at his table. His eyes widened slightly, but the slight smile on his face never slipped.

"Hello, Howard," she said, arching her brow. "It’s been a long time. We should catch up."

"I’m a little busy right now. Why don’t you—"

"Call the FBI? What a good idea. They’ve been asking after you. I said I didn’t know where you were, but I’m sure they’d be happy to hear that I’ve seen you."

Howard stared at her for a beat, and then he sighed and told his friends, "Give me a second." They quickly cleared the table and went to the other side of the café.

Maria sat down in one of the vacant chairs and gave him a once over. "You look very tan. Where’ve you been, the Bahamas?"

"Well, since I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands, I took a vacation." Howard smiled. "You look well."

"For someone under FBI investigation? Yes, I’m fantastic." She leaned in and touched his arm. "I don’t know what you think you’re doing, Howard, but whatever it is, I want you to stop. Or at least don’t drag Stark industries into it."

"Oh, you mean the business you stole from me?"

"I mean the business you were flushing down the toilet with your illegal activities until I rescued it from you!" Maria laughed at him. "Poor Howard, always the victim, always the one being thrown under the bus. And yet somehow, you manage to walk away without a mark on you."

Howard sneered and said, "I’m lucky that way, I guess."

"I’m not going to be your scapegoat, darling. However you’re stealing our products, stop it. Or I’ll stop you." With that, she stood up so that she could tower over him.

He looked up at her, a serious look on his face. "This is bigger than the both of us, sweetheart. You try to do anything and my associates will make sure you regret it."

"A threat?"

"A word of caution." Howard leaned back in his chair. "The FBI won’t find anything to link the weapons to you, or to me. So let them fumble around, Maria. Just leave it alone."

"I can’t. You put weapons into the hands of those sorts of men, and innocent people will die."

"And you think that doesn’t happen when we put them in the hands of soldiers?" Howard snorted and shook his head. "Don’t be naïve!"

"Why?" she said softly. She couldn’t understand it before and she didn’t understand it now. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because our son is dead and no one cares how he died or why." Howard’s whole body tensed and the hate on his face made her heart beat faster.

She didn’t step back, she was tired of stepping back and pretending that the power of his grief wasn’t fueled by guilt. "Everyone knows how and why our son is dead, Howard. You were drunk when you got behind the wheel of that car. You were drunk and—"

"No!" Howard rose to his feet, chair toppling to the ground. "I wasn’t drunk. I didn’t have a drink that morning because I knew I had to take Tony to the pediatrician. I was not drunk, Maria. I swear!"

"You’re a liar," she said, her voice lowering into a harsh whisper. "And do you know how I know? Your lips are moving. And because I saw the results of your tests; your blood alcohol level was twice the acceptable limit."

"I didn’t—I wasn’t—The car, Maria, the car—"

"I don’t believe you," Maria hissed.

"Then you can burn with everyone else."

She turned away before he could say more and walked out of the café. Edwin was waiting for her in the car. "Call Nick Fury, tell him that I want to see him. If Howard won’t stop this nonsense, then I’ll have to stop him myself. And Edwin, get me the files on the car accident."

"Is that wise, Maria?" he asked, as he pulled out into traffic.

"Probably not, but I want to see it anyway."

*****

Maria leaned back in her chair and groaned; she desperately wanted a drink, something, anything to drive away the images from the files surrounding her. Between Edwin and J, they had managed to find every piece of information on the car accident, but there was nothing new.

"I'm not sure what you're expecting to find," Edwin said, moving a few of the files to the coffee table and sitting next to her.

"Proof that my husband… that my ex-husband didn't kill our child." She ran her hands over her face; she didn't care that she smudged her make up. "Howard mentioned the car before, when he came out of the coma. I thought he was confused." Or protecting himself. "But what if he wasn’t?"

"Would it change anything? He's still selling weapons to murderers." Edwin put his hand on her arm. "He’s still a danger to himself and everyone he knows."

"It matters." Maria took a deep breath. "It matters to me." 

"All right. But let’s worry about our current problem first." He squeezed her arm gently. "One mystery at a time, Maria." 

After a moment, she nodded and leaned her head on Edwin’s shoulder.

***** 

"Director Fury, thank you for meeting with me. I only wish it were under better circumstances."

"As do I, Mrs. Stark." Fury settled into a guest chair, steepled his hands, and looked at her expectantly. "What can I do for you?"

"A little over five years ago, you came to me with information about Howard. You had hoped I could veer him from his path; I couldn’t. And now he’s selling weapons, _my_ weapons to gangsters. Innocent people are dying in the streets." Maria leaned forward and looked Fury in the eye. "I can’t get those weapons back; that’s in the hands of the police, but I can stop Howard from taking more of my weapons. If you help me."

"And how do you propose to do that?" He looked intrigued and she smiled. 

"How would you and your agency like to run security for one of the biggest multi-billion dollar corporations in the world?" 

Fury smiled at her in return. "We aren’t a private security company, Mrs. Stark."

"No, you’re not," she said. "You’re in the business of protecting the world. So protect it, Director Fury. Howard isn’t going to be content with the streets of New York. He has bigger aspirations, ones that could have worldwide implications. We can stop him before he gets that far. We can stop him before he becomes a problem."

"What’s your plan?"

Maria chuckled softly. "I thought you’d never ask."

***** 

"Thank you all for coming here on such short notice." Maria stood before the crowd of reporters, a representative for SHIELD at her side. From the corner of her eye, she could see Obadiah hovering at the edges of the crowd, frowning. She knew this wasn’t going to go over well, but it was the only way of thwarting Howard. "As you all are well aware, Stark Industries has come under fire recently for the rash of illegal weapons that have made their way to the streets and into the hands of criminals. I, and the board, take this matter very seriously. And as such, I am temporarily closing our weapons manufacturing plants here in the US, Canada, and Mexico."

The reports went wild, jumping from their seats and shouting questions. Maria had learned long ago to speak over them. 

"As I said, this is a temporary situation. The employees affected by these closures will work in our other factories; they will not lose a day’s pay." Maria lifted her chin slightly. "I have also hired a new security firm, SHIELD Inc., to help secure our factories and weapon caches. "Mandy," she said, as she pointed to her media advisor, "is handing out media advisories and FAQ sheets, and will be happy to answer any questions you may have on the logistics of the closures. Thank you."

She quickly walked off the stage amid a press frenzy. She had hoped to get clear of Obadiah, but no such luck; he caught her just as she exited. 

"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed, grabbing her arm to stop her, a smile plastered on his face.

"Saving my company." Maria jerked her arm away. "Don’t ever touch me again without my permission or I’ll have you fired." She smiled up at his stunned face and walked away.

***** 

Maria spent the rest of the day fielding calls from angry board members, but she thought she did fairly well. Most of them seemed to begrudgingly accept her reasoning for her actions, so at least she wasn’t going to face an injunction. 

She leaned back in her chair after hanging up with the last board member and sighed. God, she was exhausted. She looked over at Edwin, who was asleep on the couch. "J, order some food from that Italian place Edwin loves, will you?"

"Of course, Mrs. Stark. Is there anything else you require?"

"No, my dear, that’s it." Maria got to her feet and stretched. She wondered if she should take a quick shower before the food arrived or wait until later when she could soak in a bath for a few hours. She was still trying to decide when her cell phone rang. She looked at the screen and frowned—no number—but decided to answer it anyway. "Stark."

"Watch your back," Howard said, voice gruff, then hung up on her. 

Maria wasn’t sure if he was threatening her or warning her; maybe it was a little bit of both. She sighed and rubbed her mouth. Forget the shower, she needed a drink. 

***** 

"He threatened you?" Edwin paced the room, his tie askew, and a frown on his face. 

Maria watched him from her position on the couch. Her legs were tucked under her and she was eating fried rice from a carton; she felt much better after having a drink. Or three. "It was more of a warning than a threat."

Edwin stopped and spun on his heel. "He told you to watch your back!"

"That does sound like a threat, ma’am," JARVIS said.

"You mind your own business." That artificial intelligence of hers was really starting to get a mind of his own. She looked at Edwin. "It wasn’t a threat."

"Regardless, I’m going to double your security."

"You will do no such thing!" Maria set aside her food and rose to her feet. "I am not in any danger and I refuse to be cowed by Howard’s silly antics."

"Silly antics? That man has been making weapons for years! He was _five_ the first time he blew up the garden shed." Edwin clenched his jaw. "We are doubling your security."

"No, we—"

"Stop being a bloody idiot," he yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

Maria blinked at him, stunned. He’d never raised his voice to her before and she still couldn’t quite believe it. She looked at him carefully, and finally saw the quiet desperation on his face. Maria knew that expression. She had seen it in the mirror dozens of times when she’d been married to Howard. 

Edwin tried to look away, but she cupped his face, stroking at the deep worry lines around his mouth and eyes. "Please," he said, his voice rough and quiet.

A lump rose to her throat and she nodded. Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed the corner of his mouth.

He cleared his throat and took a step back. "Please tell me you didn’t eat all the lo mein."

"No, I saved it for you." Maria tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear. "I know it’s your favorite." She took a deep breath and let it out; one issue at a time, she reminded herself. 

***** 

Maria was late. She _hated_ being late. As she and her bodyguard—God, she couldn’t even remember this one’s name, only that he was so damn young—rushed to the car, she dropped her briefcase and her files spilled out. She cursed and tossed the keys at… Doug. She tossed her keys at Doug and said, "Start the car, will you? I’ll get these."

"Yes, Mrs. Stark." He smiled at her, all bright-eyed enthusiasm; he made her feel old. He strode over to the car and she heard the alarm beep as he turned it off. 

Then— 

Later, when the police interrogate her, she’ll tell them about the intense heat, the pain of being thrown back, her head hitting the ground, and blacking out.

But she remembered more than that.

There was pain, so intense that she tried to cry out, but she couldn’t draw breath, couldn’t do more than lay there on the ground, her mouth filing with blood. She didn’t understand how her chest could feel so shredded, her vest should have protected her, it should have stopped just about anything. Unless…

Howard. 

Her face was wet, but she wasn’t sure if it was blood or tears. It didn’t matter because she was dying. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t. Not even if it meant seeing Tony again. 

_Please,_ she tried to say. _Help me_. But the pain was too much. 

She didn’t want to die.

*****

Yelling, she could hear yelling and felt a deep, far away pain that could only mean morphine. 

***** 

"You’re going to be all right," someone said, brushing the hair back from her face. "Everything is going to be fine."

Maria wasn’t worried or afraid. She wasn’t anything in the sticky morass of drugs, but she tried to respond anyway. 

She wasn’t sure she was successful.

***** 

The beeping was annoying. As Maria struggled back towards consciousness, that was the overwhelming thought in her head: the beeping was annoying and she had to make it stop.

She made a soft little sound and forced her eyes open; it was harder than she thought it’d be. When she could get them to focus, the first person she saw was Edwin, who was standing at her bedside, looking bedraggled and pale. Maria tried to smile at him and he let out a soft, broken laugh.

"You Starks and your damn comas," he said and cupped her cheek. "Don’t you ever do that to me again."

She huffed and closed her eyes again.

Sleep came swiftly.

***** 

It was several days before she could keep her eyes open for more than a few minutes. Edwin was there, every time, and she wondered if he ever went home. 

He gave her some water to moisten her mouth and throat and gave her a wan smile. 

"What happened?" she asked. Her throat felt raw, but she wouldn’t stop speaking until she had all her questions answered. 

"Someone tried to kill you." Edwin sat the cup on the table beside her bed. "They planted a bomb in your car." 

"Howard."

He shook his head. "No, not Howard."

"They caught someone?" When he shook his head, she asked, "How do you know it wasn’t him?"

Edwin slumped down on the chair next to her bed and clasped his hands in his lap. He was silent long enough that she was sure he wouldn’t continue. "We should have this discussion when you’re stronger."

Now she was worried. "Tell me."

"I knew you were going to say that." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It was one of ours, the bomb, I mean. You were barely alive when they brought you into the hospital. Even with the best doctors, they couldn’t get all the shrapnel, not without killing you in the process. They considered trying anyway; better a swift death than a slow one from the shrapnel."

Maria made a soft sound and clenched the sheets; was she dying now?

"Howard came to me—Maria, I almost killed him. I was so sure he was here to gloat, but he wasn’t. He… He said he could save you." Edwin looked at her. "I had to try. I had to give you a chance, so I gave him one. We found a doctor who would perform the procedure—Doctor Ho Yinsen—and… and it seems to be working." 

"What did he do?"

Edwin ran a hand over his eyes. "He put an electromagnet in your chest."

She bought her hand to her chest, but all she felt was bandages and the fuzzy edges of pain. "Show me." He looked about ready to protest so she said it again, her voice grating out of her. "Show me! Now!"

He shifted the bed, so Maria was sitting up, then retrieved a hand mirror from somewhere. Then he carefully removed the bandages from her chest and held the mirror up.

A cry escaped her lips and her eyes burned with tears as she stared at the ruin that was her chest. A glowing circle of metal and glass sat in the middle of her sternum, surrounded by the scarred flesh that was once her breasts. She wanted to scream, he wanted to ask Edwin why he allowed Howard to make a monster of her. But then she looked into his eyes, saw his anguish and his desperation, and felt her anger drain from her body. 

"It was the only way," he whispered and she nodded. 

Maria touched the device in her chest, struck by its familiarity, then it hit her. "It’s the arc reactor." Howard’s greatest creation; he’d finally managed to crack the secret of its miniaturization. She wondered if she was his creation now, too. "This doesn’t change anything. I’m still going to stop him."

"That’s what I told him," Edwin said. "He told me to tell you that he wouldn’t have it any other way." 

Of course he did, the bastard. 

She pushed the mirror away. "Help me put the bandages back on, Edwin."

***** 

Maria stayed at the hospital for three more days, and then signed herself out against her doctor’s orders—although, to be honest, Yinsen seemed resigned to her antics. Of course, if he worked with Howard, then he’d probably witnessed worse behavior. 

Edwin wanted to take her home. He wanted her to crawl into a cocoon of warmth and safety she wasn’t sure she’d ever get back. And though she was tempted to pretend, she found she didn’t quite have the stomach for it anymore.

Instead, she had him drive her to headquarters and call a press conference. 

Obadiah greeted her at the door, a congenial smile on his face, but she could see the tightness around his eyes, the wariness of his shoulders and she was glad. "What’s going on?" he asked under his breath.

"You’ll see." The cashmere turtleneck she wore was too hot and the color did nothing for her too pale complexion, but it was the only piece of clothing she owned that hid her chest.

Maria pushed past Obadiah and stepped up to the podium; the reporters hushed. "I know you’re all well aware of what happened to me a month and a half ago; most of you covered it. There was an attempt on my life that killed over a dozen people, innocent people, and they used one of my own weapons to do it." She clutched the edges of the podium. "The number of innocent lives lost due to Stark Industries weapons is unconscionable. And as such, I am closing down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries, effective immediately. Thank you."

She ignored the roar of questions from reporters and Obadiah’s efforts at backtracking. 

Edwin followed her outside to the car. "Their deaths aren’t your fault, Maria."

"No, they aren’t. Their deaths are the fault of whoever planted that bomb." She got in the car and waited until he got in after her to continue. "It’s not why I did it. There are always going to be murderers, people hell bent on ending lives. I’m just tired of handing them the means to do so. Let them go back to using rocks, sticks and their bare hands!" 

"This could very well put you in more danger," he said softly. 

"I don’t care." Maria looked over at Edwin, her jaw clenched tightly. "If those bastards want to play hardball, I’ll play hardball."

Edwin nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

"Keep the board and Obadiah off my back. I know they have questions, and complaints, but it’ll have to wait."

"Until when?"

Maria looked out the window at the people on the sidewalk. "Until I have a plan." She touched her chest. "Until I know how Stark Industries is going to move forward."

"That’s extremely vague, Maria," he said. 

She shrugged her shoulders and closed her eyes. 

***** 

As soon as Maria entered her building, she felt the tension ease from her body. She was finally home; safe and alone for the first time in weeks. She took the elevator down to her workshop, and when she entered the room, the lights turned on.

"Welcome home, ma’am," JARVIS said and she smiled.

"Thank you, JARVIS. It feels good to be home." She sat in her favorite chair and let out a sigh of relief. "Pull up Project Flyboy for me, please."

"Are you sure you wouldn’t rather rest? I’ve been monitoring the news; it seems you’ve had a busy day."

"Do I detect a note of worry in your voice, J?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Your welfare _is_ my primary concern," he said. 

"I’m fine. Just pull up Project Flyboy." Maria pulled her hair into a ponytail, and got to work. 

***** 

Maria wasn’t sure how long she’d been working, she only knew that when Edwin entered the workshop carrying a cup of coffee and a bag of donuts, her stomach growled. She set down the screwdriver and almost rubbed her eyes—which would have been a tragic mistake with the barebones of a working repulsor strapped to her left arm. 

"You’re an angel," she said taking the cup from Edwin with her right hand, and taking a few fortifying gulps. 

"What is that?" he asked, gesturing to her arm. "I thought you were going to stop manufacturing weapons?"

"This isn’t a weapon. This is Stark Industries’ answer to a jetpack." She smiled at him. "And no, it’s not going to be mass marketed."

Edwin handed her the paper. "It might be better if it were. The board isn’t happy and our stocks have taken a fifty point dip." 

She winced; it was worse than she expected. "It can’t be helped."

He snorted and offered her a chocolate donut with sprinkles. "Obadiah wants to talk to you. In person—he says he’s tired of email. I can only hold him off for so long." 

"Just give me a few more days." By then she’ll have the repulsors done and a suit to go with it. She hoped. 

"Will you at least tell me what you’re doing?" 

"Not yet." Not until she was done. He’d try to stop her and she wasn’t sure she had the strength to fight him. "But soon, I promise."

***** 

The first repulsor test was a failure and she had bruises from hitting the ceiling to prove it.

JARVIS threatened to call the fire department the second time, but by the tenth reiteration, she was hovering off the ground. Her only worry was banging her head on the ceiling from going too high.

She laughed with glee, moving around the room, papers flying off her desk when she hovered over it. "I can fly," she said and for a moment she wished Howard were there with her to share in her joy. When she felt that she’d wallowed enough, she pushed aside her grief. It was time to finish her project. "JARVIS, put the mock up on screen."

A 3D rendering of the suit hovered in the air and she frowned. It was bulkier than she wanted it to be, but it would do well enough to use in testing. 

"Shall I manufacture it, ma’am?" JARVIS asked. 

"Yes. How long will it take?" She spun the image.

"Twenty hours." 

"Good." Maria ran her fingers through her hair and grimaced. "I need a shower, a meal, and some sleep, in that order. If Edwin or Obadiah try to get a hold of me, tell them I’m busy." She stripped off the repulsors, and then headed upstairs.

***** 

Maria stood before the suit, her heart hammering in her chest, a smile on her face. She ran her hands over the cool metal and murmured, "You’re bigger than I expected, but we’ll slim you down in the next incarnation."

"Ma’am, would you like to begin?" JARVIS asked. 

"Yes," she said eagerly. "Yes, let’s get started with testing." She got into position and then let the machines to get work. It took an hour for them to get her fitted properly, but by the end of it, she'd already found several ways to cut that time in half. 

Maria walked around the workshop, the boots clanging against the concrete floor, testing the range of motion. JARVIS helpfully displayed the suit’s diagnostics and her own vital signs onscreen in the helmet. 

It was supposed to be a clear night.

"JARVIS, open the service doors." Now was the time to be bold. Now was the time for action.

"Ma’am?"

"I want to see what this suit can do. And the only way to do that is to push it to its limits." JARVIS began to protest, but she cut him off. "Do it, now!"

JARVIS was silent as the service doors slid open. She walked out into the cold winter night, took a deep breath and whispered a prayer, then engaged the repulsors. She couldn’t help the surprised yelp that left her mouth as she rocketed into the air.

"Ma’am, are you all right? Your vital signs are a bit worrying." JARVIS really was a marvel, but perhaps she’d put too much of Edwin into his personality. 

Maria laughed, stopping her upward movement so that she hovered high above the city. "I’m fine, J. I’m perfectly fine. I can’t believe I did it. I’m flying. I’m… this is spectacular."

The city below her was laid out like a blanket of lights in the surrounding darkness; she’d never seen anything so beautiful. She took a deep breath and smiled. 

She turned and flew towards the coast, looping though the air, turning, testing the way the suit moved. The bulkiness of it was a detriment, she would definitely need to find a way of slimming it down, making it less of a juggernaut—maybe she could use the new titanium alloy R&D created. 

Maria flew up and down the coast, stopping every once in awhile to admire the ocean or the stars and to run diagnostics. 

"Well, we’ve seen how fast the suit can go, let’s see how far up." Maybe someday she’d make a suit that would fly to the moon. She laughed at the absurdity of her thoughts, but knew she would try anyway, because Tony would have liked it.

She watched as the landmarks grew smaller the further up she went. It was going well, very well, then the repulsors began to sputter and the display in her helmet grew staticky. She flailed in the air, dropping lower and lower each time the repulsors cut out. "JARVIS, what’s going on?"

"A build up of ice, ma’am. I—" 

"You what? J, you what?" Then everything went dead and she was falling.

An overwhelming sense of calm settled over her, allowing her to assess her situation. She ignored the impending impact and instead concentrated on breaking the ice on the suit. She pounded her gauntleted fists against her legs, then torso, several times, until the ice cracked and fell away. 

The repulsors, and the display, flared to life.

"Ma’am, you’re descending too fast," JARVIS said, taking over the suit. There was no way to stop her descent, but she knew that JARVIS would make sure she would walk away from the crash.

Maria closed her eyes and held her breath and—

***** 

"Ouch." Maria opened her eyes to complete darkness and it took her a moment to realize that she was still wearing the helmet. She pulled it off and cold, sea air blasted across her face.

She was alive, if severely bruised, and the suit was a wreck, littered across the beach. Still, better it than her. Maria slowly stumbled to her feet, pieces of metal falling off her body with each step. 

God, she was going to have to call someone, someone who was not Edwin because she couldn’t handle one of his lectures right now. That only left one person. She cursed softly and searched the wreckage for her cell phone. Hopefully, it survived and she wouldn’t have to go in search of help in her bedraggled condition. At least the arc reactor was bright enough to act as a sort of beacon.

***** 

It was about an hour before dawn when Obadiah made his way down to the beach from the road; Maria could hear him cursing as he stumbled across the sand.

"You should have told me I’d need beach shoes," he said, staring down at her as she sat on a boulder and watched the waves lap against the shore.

Maria smiled at him, murmuring her thanks as he gave her his jacket. She slipped it on and slowly got to her feet. "I appreciate your help."

"I’m a little surprised that you didn’t call Edwin." Obadiah kept glancing at her chest, his curiosity obviously winning out again his good manners.

She pulled the jacket closed. "I knew you wouldn’t lecture me or ask questions."

He sighed but seemed to resign himself to ignorance. He gestured to the pile of metal a few feet from them; she had managed to find most of the suit. "Is that the equipment that needs to be disposed of?"

"Yes. Make sure they melt it down." She started towards the direction he came in, ready to go home. 

"What is it?" he asked her.

"A beginning," she replied. 

***** 

Another twenty-four hours later and Mark II was ready to begin production. She looked over the mock up and frowned. "Add some hot rod red, will you, JARVIS. I want to be noticed."

"Yes, ma’am," JARVIS said. "I’m sure no one will notice a woman-sized robot with glowing parts without it."

She grinned and headed towards the elevator. "Rude." 

Edwin was sitting on the couch, going through her mail when walked into her living room. "Ah, she lives."

"Yes, yes, she does." Maria ran her fingers through her tangled hair, ignoring the way her bruised and sore body protested the movement. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to consider sending down a search party. Are you hungry? I could whip up something or order in."

She shook her head and took the mail from him. "I had some pizza earlier."

"You used to have such a refined palate." Edwin gave a heavy sigh.

Maria laughed and began sorting her mail; most of it was junk, so when she came to the hand addressed envelope, she paused. The envelope was heavy, of good quality, and it could only mean one thing: a party invitation. She carefully opened it and took out the invitation.

Her breath caught.

"What s it?" Edwin asked, looking over her shoulder. "Oh. Oh, that bastard."

"The Autumn Ball given by the Starks is a time honored tradition, Edwin. You know that. It signals the end of summer and beginning of the ball season." They had both been an intimate part of it for years.

"Still, to think you would want to go." He tried to take the invitation from her but she pulled it close to her. 

"I do." It was perfect actually. "I do want to go."

Edwin narrowed his eyes. "What are you planning, Maria?"

She smiled at him. "You’ll come with me, won’t you? I know it’ll be strange, but I want you by my side."

"Yes, of course I will. If that’s what you want."

"Good." She took his hands and kissed his cheek. "Although that means I only have two weeks to get ready."

"I’m sure you’ll manage." He squeezed her hands. "Now since I have you here, I have a few documents for you to sign." 

Maria groaned, but resigned herself to writer’s cramp.

***** 

Since the attempt on her life, Maria had spent most of her time in old t-shirts, sweaters, and the occasional turtleneck. But now that she was finally looking through her wardrobe, she realized that nothing she owned fit anymore. All her blouses hung badly and showed off the scars and arc reactor. And the dresses were no better, not even her favorite blue Valentino.

She sat on her bed and tried not to despair, but it was difficult not to stare at her misshapen breasts, the scar tissue, the hunk of metal in her chest, and cry. 

No. No, crying would do nothing to help the situation. What she needed was help. She picked up her cell and sent off a text to her best friend.

_Need help. Bring sewing machine._

An hour and a half later, Jan showed up on her doorstep surrounded by bags of cloth. "You should have called me sooner, darling." 

"I would have, but to be honest, I’ve been avoiding the whole situation." She helped Jan bring her bags into the living room. 

"Well, I’m here now." Jan grinned at her. 

"That’s right. And if Janet Van Dyne can’t help me, then I’m a lost cause." She offered up her own wobbly smile.

"Maria." Jan hugged her and Maria’s eyes stung with tears. "You, my dear, are not a lost cause. No one is. But I’m going to need you to show me." 

Maria nodded and took a few steps back. She hesitated, just for a moment, then pulled off the sweater she wore.

"Oh." Jan frowned. "What is that?"

"It’s a magnet. It’s keeping the shrapnel in my chest away from my heart." Maria crossed her arms, then uncrossed them.

"It’s a pretty blue." Jan smiled and touched Maria’s arm. "It’s not so bad. I’ll make you a dress that will knock the socks off your ex. And I’ll throw in a whole new wardrobe, just because I love you."

"Jan—"

"Shush." Jan gave her a stern look. "I want to. Besides, it’ll be good advertising."

"If you say so," she said softly.

"I do." Jan took out her measuring tape. "Look on the bright side, Maria, now you can be the C cup you always wanted to be."

"Jan!" Maria tried to sound outraged, but the utter delight on Jan’s face made her laugh. "You’re incorrigible." 

"It’s why you love me. Now lift your arms over your head. We have work to do."

***** 

The dress was scarlet with a high neckline and a beaded bodice that hid her scars and the glow of the arc reactor. Maria checked herself in the mirror; the dress clung to her like a second skin and she wanted to be sure that everything looked natural. 

It did. 

She'd have to order more of those special bras from Jan. 

Maria stepped into her heels and walked out into the living room where Edwin was waiting for her. 

He rose to his feet, a smile on his face. He looked dapper, his hair gleaming like platinum in the light; the only thing he was missing was a silver-tipped cane. "You look stunning."

"So do you." She hooked her arm around his. "Let's go. If we don't leave now, we'll be unfashionably late."

"Oh, we don't want that," he said as they made their way to the garage.

It was a quick ride to the mansion—she was glad that Howard had finally moved back in, if only for the fact that she could keep tabs on him—and she was in such good spirits, she didn’t even mind the extra security. Edwin escorted her in and she marveled at how different it looked, how masculine, even with the decorations. 

"It doesn’t look like home anymore," she said, surprised by how much it affected her. 

"No, no, it isn’t." Edwin took a deep breath and offered up a wan smile. 

She couldn’t bear to think that he might be sad, so she bolstered her own spirits. "I think champagne’s in order, then maybe a bit of dancing." She kept Edwin at her side as they mingled among the crowd—Howard had yet to appear, though he knew he must be around somewhere. 

After Maria’s second glass of wine, she decided she was tired of reassuring the other guests that, yes, she was fine and, no, they hadn’t caught who had planted the bomb. "Dance with me," she said to Edwin, who set down his glass.

"As my lady wishes."

She laughed as he led her out onto the dance floor as the band struck up a waltz. "Oh, you’re good at this."

"Of course I am." His lips curved slightly. "Every gentleman should know how to dance. It’s very height of rudeness to tread upon your partner’s toes." 

"Hmm, good to know."

"You really do look lovely tonight." Edwin’s hand gently squeezed her hip.

Maria lowered her lashes. "Earlier you said I was stunning."

"You are." Edwin seemed to hesitate, then he swayed closer. Before she could ask what he was doing, he brushed his mouth against hers.

"Oh." Maria blinked in surprise.

"Just something to consider," he said, then stepped away when the song ended. "Howard just went into his study. I assume we’re here because you wanted to speak with him."

Maria licked her lips, and then shook herself. "Partly. There's something I need you to do." She reached in her purse, surreptitiously took out a flash drive, and placed it his hand. "I need you to install this program into Howard's work laptop. If I know Howard, it should be where it usually is." 

"Tucked under his pillow. What about his password?" Edwin asked. 

"Just plug in the drive before you turn on the computer. It'll beep when it's done."

Edwin gave her a long, searching look. "All right, if this is important."

"It is." Maria touched his cheek. "I can always count on you." Then before she could make a fool of herself, she turned and hurried to Howard’s study.

The door was unlocked, so she let herself in. Howard had his back to the door, looking out the window at the garden. "The roses keep dying," he said. "No matter how hard the gardener tries, they won’t stay alive."

"That’s a pity." She locked the door and went to stand next to him. "Maybe he’s overwatering."

"Maybe. What the hell do I know about plants?"

"Nothing." She glanced at him. "But then, if you had asked me a few months ago if I thought you knew anything about heart surgery, I’d have said no. Thank you."

Howard shrugged. "You came with Jarvis." 

"He’s my personal assistant."

"He’s in love with you." Howard turned to her. "Are you in love with him?"

"That’s none of your business." She smiled when she spied two partygoers sneaking through the garden, looking for a quiet spot. "Do you know who tried to kill me?"

"Just be glad they didn’t succeed." Howard walked over to the bar and poured himself a scotch.

"Just be glad—" She looked at him, incredulous. "People died! And I didn’t exactly escape unscathed! If you know who tried to killed me, you have an obligation to tell me."

"Oh no, I paid my debt. It’s why you’re alive." Howard took a drink; his hand shook.

She realized then that he was afraid. She had never seen him afraid before, not once. "If you tell me what I need to know, I promise that I will weaken them so badly, it’ll be easy for you to take over. That’s what you want, isn’t it? Power."

"And you would help me?"

Maria shrugged. "Better the devil you know."

"What sort of information are you looking for?" Howard drained his glass and poured himself another scotch.

"I want information on their operations. Where they keep their drugs, the weapons, anything else that may be useful." Howard opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "Don’t ask what I’m going to do with it. Just know that I won’t be going to the police or SHIELD." 

"I’ll think about it."

Maria didn’t push; she knew it wouldn’t do any good. She nodded. "It’s a lovely party."

He gave her a lingering look. "And that’s a lovely dress." 

She rolled her eyes. "Say goodnight, Howard."

"Goodnight, Howard." 

Edwin was waiting just outside the door; he gave a small nod. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes." She looked over her shoulder at Howard, who was staring out the window again. "Yes, I’m ready." 

***** 

When Maria got home, she took a long, hot bath. She had almost fallen asleep when her cell chimed to let her know she’d received a text. She picked up the phone and looked at it. 

_Naughty, naughty. As if I wouldn’t notice._ Howard wrote. _You’re gonna have to try harder than that._

Maria smiled and set the cell phone down. "J? How long did it take for Howard to disable the dummy program?"

"Three minutes and five seconds, ma’am," he said.

"Is the primary program still running?" She picked up one of her bottles of scented oil and poured a little into the water.

"Yes." JARVIS paused for a beat. "He’s compiled quite a bit of information on his associates: names, dates, types of weapons purchased, storage details. His encryption wasn’t very good, ma’am."

"Well not for you, my dear." Maria leaned back and closed her eyes. "Keep pulling information. When you’re done, make a list of targets, isolated areas at the top of the list. I don’t want any collateral damage."

"I’ll have a list for you in three hours."

***** 

She loved the Mark 2; it was sleek, shiny, and the red only added to its allure. 

"Are you ready?" she whispered to it, running her hand down its arm. "Yes, me, too. It’s time we take back what’s ours." Maria took a deep breath and straightened her back. "It’s time to suit up, JARVIS. Are you ready?"

"For you, ma’am? Always." 

****** 

The first target was a warehouse in New Jersey that was holding a stockpile of Stark Industry weapons. Maria landed in front of the deserted building, much to the surprise of the two security guards. 

"What the fuck is that?" one of them asked.

"Hell if I know, but it don’t look friendly!" 

The men quickly drew their weapons and she couldn’t help the wince as they fired, the bullets pinging against the suit. Thankfully, the suit’s integrity held and when they’d emptied their guns, she quickly strode forward, grabbed them by the fronts of their shirts and flung them away. 

She made quick work of the door, ripping it off its hinges, then strode in. "JARVIS, do you detect any life forms?"

"Just yours, ma’am."

Maria looked around slowly, taking in the information that JARVIS provided her. She knew that she should call the police, alert them to the warehouse, but that wasn’t part of her plan. That wasn’t why she’d created the suit. She broke open several of the crates, allowing JARVIS to catalog the serial numbers. When she had what she needed, she said, "Make a call to the fire department, JARVIS. Warn them the building is full of weapons and to proceed with caution."

She held up her hands and began blasting the crates. As the weapons began to explode, causing a chain reaction, she burst through the roof to get away. She hung in the air awhile, watching as the warehouse went up in a fireball of explosions. 

When she heard the distant sirens, she flew away to her next target.

***** 

Maria hit four weapons caches and three drug labs before turning for home, exhausted but satisfied. 

She was so tired after her busy night, she didn’t even notice that Edwin was in her workshop, not until he dropped am armful of files and his cup of coffee. He stared at her, wild-eyed, and scrambled back until he slammed against the wall.

Maria quickly retracted the faceplate. "Edwin, it’s all right. It’s me. It’s just me."

Edwin opened and closed his mouth a few times, then swallowed hard. He slowly looked her over, eyes widening in horror. "Are those bullet holes?"

"Relax, I was completely safe."

"Safe? Safe from what? What the hell have you been—" He gasped softly and shook his head. "No! Tell me that wasn’t you on the news, that you weren’t the one blowing up all those buildings!"

"I wasn’t about to let them use my weapons to kill more innocent people, Edwin."

"What you did endangered lives!" Edwin covered his mouth. "You could have been hurt! You could have been killed!"

"But I wasn’t." Maria took a few steps forward before realizing she was still in the suit and stopped. "No one was in any real danger; I made sure of that."

He sank down onto a chair, looking exhausted. "Do you expect me to be relieved?"

"I expect you to understand that I needed to do this. I’m not going to live in fear. And I’m not going to stand idly by as people are terrorized."

"Is this because of Anthony?" he asked. 

She let out a bitter huff. "I spent years by Howard’s side, years working to make Stark Industries _the_ weapons contractor for the military. And then as CEO, I worked even harder. I never once considered the body count. I never once thought about what those weapons might do to people in the wrong hands. Hell, even in the right hands. Not until I was hurt."

Edwin was silent and she felt a flutter of panic in her belly.

"Are you going to leave?"

"I should," he said. "I should run away and never look back. But, God help me, I’m not going to. I trust you, Maria. And as frightened as I am for you, I trust your judgment." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "What can I do to help?"

Maria smiled and she might have collapsed in relief if not for the suit. "Could you look over the information I gathered from Howard’s files? Artificial intelligence or not, it’s always nice to have a second set of eyes."

"Of course. I’ll start now."

***** 

Edwin gasped softly and she looked up from her seat at the worktable. 

"What is it?" she asked. "Did you find something?"

"I… I’m not certain. JARVIS, send the last file I looked at to my email." Edwin rose to his feet and grabbed his tablet and jacket.

Maria looked at him with amusement. "Are you going to tell me what you think you found?" 

"Howard had shipping manifests. Some of the serial numbers on those manifests matched the weapons you found last night." Edwin pulled on his jacket. "I’m going to go talk to HR, rummage through personnel files, maybe make a few calls to the warehouse supervisors. See if I can’t come up with a common denominator. I’ll call you if I find anything." 

"All right. Good luck." 

*****

The next afternoon, she received a bouquet of daisies from Howard and an injunction from the board, stopping her from shutting down weapons manufacturing. 

She immediately called Obadiah, but the coward refused to pick up the phone, so she called her personal attorney. They quickly formed a plan of action. 

"I’ll do what I can on my end, Maria," Jacob said, "But if I were you, I’d try to find some allies." 

"I’m afraid that might be easier said than done." She ran her hands through her hair. "But I’ll start making calls."

Maria tried six board members without success—not even their assistants responded to her calls—before she decided to take more assertive measures. She grabbed her purse and headed out to Westchester to see if Xavier would speak with her. He was one of the most influential members of the board. If she could get him on her side, perhaps she could make the injunction go away. 

She was an hour out when she realized that, in her haste, she had forgot her cell phone.

Of course, when she got there, Brian was not at home and wouldn’t be for a few days. Maria wondered, unkindly, if the same would be said of all the board members.

She wanted to go straight home, but Sharon insisted she stay for some tea.

Maria hated that there was no polite way of bowing out.

***** 

It was dark by the time Maria got home and she was in a terrible mood: angry and discouraged. All she wanted to do was soak in a hot bath and sip a glass of champagne. 

The garage was quiet and she kept hitting the up button on the elevator until the doors opened. She gasped when they did, staring down at Howard who was sprawled on the floor, pale, his shirt bloody.

"Howard!" She ran into the elevator, dropping to her knees; he stared up at her blearily and she let out a sigh of relief. "My cell phone is upstairs. Let me get some help." 

Before she could rise to her feet, he grabbed her wrist. "Obadiah," he rasped out. "It was Obadiah. He took the extra arc reactor."

She stared at him incomprehension; who cared? "Howard, that doesn’t matter. We need to get you to the hospital!"

"He said…" Howard grimaced. "A suit. He has a suit. He’s coming for you. Maria. He—" 

Comprehension hit her like a physical blow. He had the Mark I. He hadn’t destroyed it.

"You have to stop him. He’s going after Edwin first." Howard cried out. "I can’t believe the bastard shot me!"

"I’ll call an ambulance." She touched his face. "Don’t you die on me, Howard."

"I’ll try not to." He squeezed her hand. "Be careful."

***** 

Maria left Howard in the elevator and sent it back up to the garage level. "JARVIS, call 911, tell them that a man’s been shot and needs immediate medical attention. And ready the suit!" 

"I’m doing so now, ma’am." 

She stepped up onto the assembling platform, settled her feet into the metal boots, and then lifted her arms parallel to the ground. The robots quickly began to work constructing the suit around her. "Get me Edwin on the line."

There was a long pause, then JARVIS said, "I’m afraid he’s not picking up, ma’am. Would you like to hear his most recent message? He’s called several times in the last few hours.

"Yes." The robots slid the helmet over her head and JARVIS patched the message into the suit’s communications.

_"Maria, where are you? Why aren’t you picking up? I found out who’s been selling our weapons to Howard. It’s Obadiah. Since I couldn’t get hold of you, I contacted SHIELD. We’re heading to the R &D offices now to arrest him. Maria, I think he’s trying to duplicate your suit. He—" Edwin took a deep breath. "I’ll tell you the rest when I see you. Hurry."_

"Goddammit! JARVIS, keep trying Edwin and get me to those offices. Now!" Obadiah already had a head start. If he got to the suit before she managed to catch up to him, then Edwin would be in danger. 

They’d all be in danger. 

***** 

Her mind reeled with scenarios, each one more devastating than the next. God, why had she trusted him? She knew he was a snake, she knew he was dangerous, and yet she let him close. She let him get his hands on a suit.

"Ma’am, the ambulance has arrived at the building and they are rushing Mr. Stark to the hospital. I’m still unable to reach my namesake."

"Thank you, JARVIS." Some of the tension eased from her body. 

As she drew closer to the offices, status information scrolled down in front of her: someone had tripped the security alarms. Her mouth went dry and her heart hammered in her chest. 

Maria landed just outside the entrance of the main facility; she could already see damage within. She punched through the glass door and walked in. "JARVIS?"

"Section 17," he said tersely and she sprang into action.

Obadiah had Edwin cornered and she slammed into him at full speed, taking him by surprise. They tore through the building as if it were tissue paper, sliding to a halt in a jumble of metal on the street. 

"Maria," Obadiah said, delight evident in his voice. "Good. Now I don’t have to hunt you down in order to kill you. I’m going to enjoy taking you apart; you’ve been a thorn in my side for fifteen years. I built up that company from nothing. And you think you own it just because you got married? " He grabbed a passing car and hefted it in the air. 

She held out her hands, ready to use the repulsors. "Put the car down, Obadiah, no one needs to get hurt."

"Oh, that’s where you’re wrong. There’s always collateral damage in a war."

Maria could see the faces of the terrified family. She wished she could offer some comfort, but they would have to settle for their lives. Just before he threw the car at her, she hit his legs with her repulsors. He went down and the car sailed through the air. She managed to catch it, and set it down as gently as she could. 

While she wasn’t expecting to get thanked, she also didn’t think they’d run her over. Damn! "JARVIS?"

"Damage is minimal, but do be careful, ma’am."

"I’m doing my best." She staggered to her feet, just in time to get a motorcycle to the torso. She slid back, crashing into a few parked cars.

"War is for men, Maria. You should have stayed at home, let me take care of things." Obadiah stomped over and punched her just as she was getting up.

"Oh, Obadiah, do shut up!" Maris slammed her fist into his face, hard enough that he fell back. "JARVIS, we need to take this fight somewhere people won’t get hurt. Take me up; maximum altitude." 

She flew upward into the night sky, Obadiah right behind her. They were almost there, just a little more, just—She jerked as he grabbed her by the boot, halting her ascension. She kicked at his face, but that did nothing. No matter, she could already see the ice forming on his suit.

Maria smirked, even though he couldn’t see her. "Tell me, Obadiah, did you ever manage to fix the icing problem on your suit?"

"Icing problem?" he asked. "What ice—" His words were cut short when he lost power. 

She hit him hard in the face and blasted out of his grip. He fell and she watched a moment before following him down. He crashed onto the roof of the building; her landing was more graceful. 

She had JARVIS patch her through to Edwin’s cell; he answered with a relieved voice and she laughed. "Are you all right, Edwin?"

"I think that should be my question. Are you?"

"I’m f—" The blow took her by surprise. She fell, face first, and skidded. She scrabbled to her feet and quickly turned to face Obadiah.

"You know, you Starks are hard to kill when you’re full grown." Obadiah stomped forward and they traded blows; each punch felt like her bones were shaking. "I had hoped to get rid of you all in one tragic accident, but you had that damn meeting. Howard was supposed to die in that car crash. He’s a damn cat." 

Maria gave a sharp cry and stumbled back as if he’d hit her. "You bastard! I’m going to kill you!" She used the unibeam; it didn’t stop him, but it incapacitated him enough that she could jump on his back and start ripping out wires. He threw her off and she fell into a heap. "Edwin," she whispered, patching into Edwin’s cell. Her voice was thick and her eyes were wet with tears. "We have to stop him. You have to overload the arc reactor. Use the master bypass button, then get out as fast as you can."

"What about you?" Edwin asked.

"I’ll be fine, the suit will protect me. It’s more advanced than his." 

Obadiah slowly got to his feet, then took a step forward. "When I’m done with you, I’m going to find Edwin and I’m going kill him, slowly, and painfully."

Maria didn’t respond to his taunts, and when he took another step, she said, "Now, Edwin, now!"

The light from the arc reactor wrecked havoc on her sensors. She turned away, curling protectively around her chest, and when the light faded, she looked over at Obadiah.

He was still, for just a moment, then he fell forward, crashing into the skylight. The explosion threw her back so hard not even the suit could protect her. She tried to hold on to consciousness, but it was a losing battle. 

Her last thought before she passed out was, _That was for Tony, you bastard._

***** 

Every part of her hurt; all she wanted to do was take some painkillers and sleep for a week. But unfortunately, after a debacle like the one they just had, press conferences had to be held. Sooner rather than later.

Still, this had to be done. 

Maria paid her debts.

She limped into the hospital room, flash drive in her hands, and stood beside his bedside. It didn’t take him long to wake up.

"You’re alive," Howard said. 

"Obadiah hired someone to sabotage the car." He gasped, going even paler than he already was and she fought the urge to comfort him; that wasn’t why she was here.. "When you survived, he hired a technician to change the results of your blood tests so it would show that you’d been drinking. If he couldn’t kill you, he’d send you to prison." Obadiah hadn’t expected her to intervene on her ex-husband’s behalf.

"It’s a pity he’s dead." Howard stared up at her, jaw clenched, eyes cold. 

"He had a file on his computer. You might find it interesting." Maria handed it over to him. She had considered taking care of matters herself, but after careful consideration, decided to hand the information to Howard. Tony would have wanted her to be a hero; she wasn’t going to let down her son. 

Howard stared at the flash drive in his hand.

"I’m sorry," she whispered. "I wish—" No, no, she wasn’t going to lie to Howard. 

"I’m going to make the world burn, Maria." He looked up at her. "You should stay out of my way."

"Oh, Howard, you should know better than that." Maria turned and walked out, leaving Howard to his thoughts. 

***** 

Maria stared at the newspaper headline in disgust and shook her head. "Look at this! Iron Man? Just because I didn’t make the chest plate anatomically correct, it has to be a man in the suit? How utterly disgusting!"

Edwin laughed and took the paper from her. "Let them think what they like, as long as they don’t realize it’s you. Speaking of which, you have the cover story memorized?"

"Yes, yes, it’s fine. I was in Southern California, having a lovely time with friends at a spa." She let out a huff. "You realize that people are going to think I was in rehab." 

"Let them think what they like." Edwin looked her over, a slight smile on his face. "Perfect. Are you ready?"

"As I’ll ever be." She grabbed the newspaper, so she’d have something to hold—she fidgeted otherwise—and rose to her feet. She took a deep breath, let it out, then walked into the media room. The flash of cameras was enough to make her see spots, but she made her way to the podium without a misstep. 

Reporters called out questions, but she stood silently, until they quieted. 

Maria glanced down at the paper and the headline, once again, irked her. "I was back in the waiting room, reading the paper." She held it up to show everyone. "And it—Well, the truth is…." Maria threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin. "The headline is ridiculous. There is no ‘Iron Man’. There is, however, an Iron Woman."

She paused, dramatically, and then smiled. 

"I am Iron Woman."


End file.
